Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Attention: All Posts Moving to New Blog

New Website is Officially Up!

Hey everyone. The new website trainedwright.com is up and pretty much finished. All subsequent workouts and blog posts will be posted there. Blog posts will show up on both the homepage and in the Blogs section. Thanks for your continued support and, as always, feel free to email me with suggestions or questions.

Best,
Coach Wright

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

WOD - May 15, 2013 - Wednesday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
Clean + Front squat + Jerk, 1+2+1: 5x1 at moderate weight (keep it fast/perfect)

Work Capacity:
3 Rounds for total time of:
20 Wall balls (20#/14#)
15 HSPU (kipping/Regionals standard)
15 T2B
10 DB Snatch (100#/70# -- alternating arms)
Rest 2:1

Strength:
3x3 OH Squats at 70% of 050913

Post results to comments.

Monday, May 13, 2013

WOD - May 14, 2013 - Tuesday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
Snatch + snatch balance, 1+1: 7x1 at moderate weight (keep it fast/perfect)

Work Capacity:
4 Rounds for total time of:
1 Rope climb (15')
250m row
15 Thrusters (45#)
15 KB Swings (53#/35#)
Rest 2:1

Strength:
3x3 OH Squats at 75% of 050913

Post results to comments.

WOD - May 13, 2013 - Monday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work
Build to 1RM Clean and Jerk

Work Capacity:
For time:
50 Double-unders
25 HSPU
20 T2B
15 Shoulder-to-overhead (160#/100# -- use axle/fat bar if you have it)
45 foot Front-racked walking lunge (160#/100# -- use axle/fat bar if you have it)

Strength:
3x3 OH Squats at 80% of 050913

Post results to comments.

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Regionals Strategy: Day 3

Regionals Strategy for Day 3: Teams and Individuals

WOD 6 -- The Chipper:
Individuals:

The individual chipper is a fairly brutal event which is surprisingly taxing on the shoulders. Keep in mind that this workout doesn't really start until you pick up the axle, so do not get overconfident leading up to this final leg of the workout. This workout will be won by minimizing transition time on the shoulder-to-overhead and grinding it out to finish the lunges as close to unbroken as possible. In order for this to happen, a game plan must be in place for the other components of the WOD.

1) Double-unders -- There isn't too much to say about 100 double-unders. If you cannot perform these unbroken and quickly at this stage in the game then you have bigger problems to worry about. These should be relaxed and steady; you don't need to jump rope faster than the competition, but you do need to be able to stay relaxed through all 100 reps. Stay light in the feet and spin from the wrists, not the arms. Do not tense up your shoulders here, you will need them later.

2) HSPU -- These are probably not worth doing unbroken unless you are built like Dan Bailey or Kris Clever, and I would even tell the two of them to break these reps up. I highly recommend kipping here. Furthermore, I recommend a deep-style kip where the hip fully closes and spine rolls down away from the wall slightly. This style of kip will not be much slower in the long run than other styles and it will tire you out much less. The more you can save your shoulders here, the better. Once again, stay steady through this section and break it up as needed. It is much better to have a couple reps in the tank than to hit failure and stare at the wall. For those who are proficient with HSPU opening with 15 or 20, then doing a set of 15, and then ending with two final sets will be the way to go here. For those who struggle with HSPU, aim for sets of 10 if possible or go for quick sets of 5. The transition between sets is fairly small for HSPU, so do not be afraid to kick off and rest for a second. This WOD is NOT a sprint like last year's Diane.

3) T2B -- Keep your kip tight and your hands light on T2B. The goal here is to save the shoulders and the forearms. There is very little inherent transition time when on the pull-up bar, so you can break up the T2B into fast, smaller sets if need be. Most athletes will want to go for 3 or even 4 sets here, something along the lines of 15/15/10 or 15/10/10/5. Do not rest a lot while doing T2B as you will naturally rest when transitioning to the shoulder-to-overhead. An easy way to naturally regulate your rest time when dropping from the bar is to turn around, take a deep breath, and jump back up facing the other direction.

4) Axle S2OH -- This is where the workout actually begins. The hard part here is not necessarily the shoulder-to-overhead, but instead holding the front rack while the shoulders are already tired. For starters, absolutely 100 percent perform a push jerk for every rep. There is no reason to push press or strict press here, it will only make your lunges much harder when you will need the stamina to finish. Over-exaggerate the jerk; drive under the bar hard and punch through with the shoulders/elbows. I highly recommend limiting yourself to quick sets of 5 here with maybe a single set of 10 to open up. Picking the bar up and performing the reps is not necessarily the hard part, it is holding the front rack for the following lunge. If the lunge was not a component of the workout, then it would be more worth holding onto the bar here.

5) The lunge -- The workout is almost over, but this is unfortunately the hardest part of the WOD. A perfectly vertical front-rack position should be the goal, it will make the lunges much easier if you focus on this rigidity. Keep the core tight at all times, drive hard through the heel of the front foot to stand up each time. Treat the lunge itself almost like a split jerk, the feet should have some separation between them width-wise to prevent imbalance and potentially losing the bar. This is a gut check, stay tough and finish it out. This WOD could come down to seconds, and athletes who go unbroken on the lunge will be able to make up some time on their competition.

General points:

  • Hand protection of some kind is highly recommended for the T2B to prevent tearing for the final workout
  • Do not go to failure on HSPU -- kipping is essential
  • Stay relaxed on DU and T2B, save energy for the axle
  • The axle should be light enough that a strongman-style axle clean is not necessary, but weaker athletes can utilize this technique
  • Quick sets of 5 on the S2OH will be ideal for most athletes due to the following lunge
  • Push jerk every rep, don't be a meathead
  • A belt may help with upright posture in the S2OH and especially the lunge, but keep it loose until you get there
  • Weightlifting shoes are recommended -- the axle movements are too pivotal to not consider wearing them
  • The axle will make the front-racked lunge much harder than a regular barbell, make sure you practice with a thicker implement somehow in training
Teams:

The team version of this WOD will require good communication and smooth transitions. The hardest part of the workout is supporting the bar in the front rack while both partners work on the S2OH and the lunge. For this reason, anything that can save the athletes' shoulders without losing too much time is highly recommended. The DU should be performed unbroken but relaxed. When moving onto HSPU, it is not a bad idea to transition frequently here unless there is a large disparity in HSPU ability between the teammates. Frequent transitions will help save the shoulders and do not require that much time (kicking off the wall and back on costs about 3 seconds). Sets of 10 or fast sets of 5 will be okay for teammates with equal HSPU, with teammates alternating 10 and 5 reps respectively if there is a disparity in HSPU ability. The T2B can also be done in fast sets of 10 as the transition time here is very similar to HSPU. Most importantly, keep the grip light and utilize a tight, gymnastics-style kip on T2B to save the shoulders. When athletes get to the axle, take a few deep breaths and make sure you communicate with your teammate. The goal is to minimize time spent in the front rack while also minimizing rest. Most teams will want to break the S2OH up into sets of 5 right from the beginning, but teams who are particularly strong overhead can open with 10 reps. Once you hit the lunge, dig deep and finish. Aim for a perfectly vertical front rack position with a tight core. This final piece really depends on the guy being able to maintain the lead, so make sure they are confident and have practiced the lunge enough.

General points:
  • DU must be unbroken and relaxed
  • HSPU should be broken up into smaller sets with fast transitions from one team member to the next -- minimize the amount of time spent in the handstand position
  • T2B should be broken up into smaller sets as well -- since the transition is fast there is no reason to tax the shoulders excessively here
  • Sets of 5 on the S2OH will be ideal for most teams -- open with 10 if you are extremely confident overhead
  • Push jerk every rep, don't be a meathead
  • Gut it out to finish the front-racked lunge, the workout is almost over here
WOD 7 -- Rope Climb/Clean:
Individual:

The final event is a variation of the rope climb/c&j workout from the Games two years ago. Athletes who have done this workout will remember the effect on grip strength in the later rounds. The main thing will be confidence in the rope climbs so that the arms do not get overused. For squat cleans, perfectly vertical torso and confidence receiving in the bottom will be essential for speed on these reps.

1) The rope climbs -- A J-hook style of climb is highly recommended here, utilizing a full wrap is much slower and requires more focus. The rope climbs should be fast but not rushed, if you need an extra second at the bottom then take it. This WOD will be won on the cleans and not necessarily by having the fastest rope climbs. Speed on the way up is important, but speed coming back down is even more important. Learn how to descend quickly by loosening the legs and "walking down" with the hands. Stay focused and come down under control, a no-rep on rope climbs is too costly to come back from typically.

2) The "Sprint" -- I put this in quotations because there is no real reason for it to ever be a sprint (except maybe in the last round). Take this as your opportunity to mentally reset and prepare for the next set of cleans or climbs.

3) The cleans -- This is where the top competitors will edge ahead of the other athletes. A technically sound clean with a full bounce out of the bottom is crucial here. Athletes who must power clean and then front squat will be wasting far too much time and energy to be competitive. After extension is reached, drive aggressively under the bar and let your butt bounce off of your calves. Couple this use of the stretch-shortening cycle with an aggressive drive of the shoulders up through the bar and a perfectly vertical torso. To ensure the best cleans, weightlifting shoes are recommended for this WOD unless you use the Reebok CrossFit shoes. The only reason the Reebok Oly shoes are not recommended is because the heel can get caught on the ropes due to its design. Touch-and-go cleans after the opening round are typically not going to be worthwhile as they will make the subsequent rope climbs extremely difficult. Fast, controlled singles will be the most efficient way to perform these reps.

General points:
  • J-hook style of rope climb is ideal
  • Focus on descending quickly but maintaining control near the bottom to avoid any no-reps
  • Take the 100m run as a mild jog to reset and relax before the cleans/climbs
  • Wear Oly shoes unless you have the Reebok CrossFit brand (the heel can catch the rope)
  • A belt is not recommended unless you have extreme difficulty tightening your core -- it will inhibit breathing and this is the last WOD of the weekend
  • Singles on cleans will be ideal, except touch-and-go on the opening round can get you ahead of the pack
Teams:

The team version of this WOD relies on understanding the individual strengths of your teammates. The opener needs to be fast and confident while your anchor needs to be the best when averaging the two movements involved. The same strategies as the individual version apply, but there are a few more general points to address.

General points:
  • The physically weakest team member should go first, even if they have good rope climbs -- the cleans are the harder part of the workout and all athletes must do the same number of climbs anyways
  • The most proficient athlete at cleans should perform the final leg of the workout, unless that athlete happens to be particularly bad at rope climbs -- the additional cleans may cause them to struggle even more on the climbs
  • For most teams, physically weakest to strongest will be the best order
  • Make sure you sprint to the finish mat so that the next athlete in line can begin as soon as possible
Hopefully these strategy posts have been useful in figuring out a game plan for these Regional events. After the first Regional is over, I will be writing up an analysis of findings and looking at the numbers. Any questions can always be emailed to me at justin@trainedwright.com. Best of luck to all competitors!

Rest Day - May 12, 2013 - Sunday

Rest Day

Enjoy the day off today and get ready to wind down a lot this week leading into Regionals. Just a few quick announcements:
  • Strategy Post for Day 3 of Regionals is coming tomorrow
  • Please like the"Wright Performance" Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @trainedwright
  • The website will be finished hopefully by Regionals (www.trainedwright.com)
  • We just ordered some business cards and will have staff handing them out at the North East Regional
  • We would love to meet anyone interested in the program, so please feel free to come chat at the Reebok CrossFit Back Bay tent or approach someone representing us
  • We will be pretty active on social media that weekend, so stay tuned for pics, updates on our teams, and other relevant info
Thanks for your continued support and for making this program awesome!

Saturday, May 11, 2013

WOD - May 11, 2013 - Saturday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
Build to 1RM Snatch
Note: Get a fairly quick warm-up in and build quickly to a heavy load. The goal is to hit speed through 90% and then take 3 attempts or less at establishing a new 1RM.

Work Capacity:
2 Rounds for time:
30 Wall balls (20#/14#)
30 C2B Pull-ups
30 Pistols (alternating legs)
30 DB Snatches (70#/50# -- alternating arms)
Rest 5 minutes

Strength:
3x3 OH Squats at 90% of 050913

Post results to comments.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Regionals Strategy: Day 2

Regionals Strategy for Day 2: Teams and Individuals

WOD 4 -- The Hundreds:
Individual:

For the individual version of this workout, strategy becomes important because no single athlete can move through this whole piece unbroken. Most will be in it for the long haul with this WOD, and thus it becomes necessary to plan out each piece. Strategy for each movement will be discussed, and general points will be discussed after.

1) The wall balls -- The good news is that 100 wall balls is not extremely difficult, especially at standard weights of 20/14#. However, if you are used to doing wall balls against a wall and not a target, try to set up something to practice actually aiming for a target. It is a small difference, but still something that you want to be prepared for so that you can avoid any potential no-reps here. Bouncing out of the bottom is essential for these -- utilize the stretch-shortening cycle and let your legs go. Keep your core tight, let the ball push you into the absolute bottom of the squat, and spring back up. This will allow you to get a tremendous amount of upward force on the ball without over-exerting your shoulders. Not doing so will make the chest-to-bar pull-ups substantially more difficult. For this reason, Oly shoes are a must and should be worn by anyone doing this WOD. If you are confident with wall balls, open up with 40-50 and then do the last 50 as quick sets of 10 with about 5 seconds rest between. This will help save your shoulders for the following C2B. For those who are not as confident with wall balls, open with a set of 20, take 10 seconds rest, hit another set of 20, take 15 seconds rest, then go right into the sets of 10 with 5 seconds rest between. With a proper bounce on each rep, this should get you through the wall balls quickly regardless of proficiency.

2) C2B pull-ups -- This will easily be the hardest part of the workout and will rely on breaking up the sets into manageable chunks without causing excess fatigue. For one, athletes who can butterfly their C2B will have a tremendous advantage over athletes who cannot. For the athlete with butterflies, they can break up the pull-ups into relatively small sets and move through each extremely fast. For a standard kip, the working sets will have to be slightly larger to compete with athletes who can butterfly. Hand protection is CRUCIAL here -- you don't want to get an awful tear on day 2 and be screwed for the final day of competition. Gymnastics grips without dowels are allowed this year and they provide a tremendous amount of protection from common tears. Gloves are also allowed, but these tend to be a little more slippery and not as reliable. At the very least, tape any spots that are prone to ripping to save yourself for Day 3.
For athletes with butterflies - Open with a set of 20-25 if proficient, 10-15 if not as proficient. From this point forward, quick sets of 10 all the way through the finish will be the way to go. As soon as these start to slow down, back down to sets of 5, but make sure you are minimizing your rest between sets. Chalk up if necessary during your rest periods, but make it intentional and not a product of being tired.
For athletes with standard kip - Open bigger than you want to, i.e. 25-35 reps. Just make sure you do not let yourself get to failure on the first set. After that, struggle to get sets of 15 if you can, backing off to sets of 10 when needed. Going less than sets of 10 with a standard kip will cost you more time than it is worth, hang on as best you can.

3) Pistols -- There is not a whole lot of strategy through these, but focus on staying balanced and not dancing around while transitioning from one foot to the other. There is no reason to move slowly on pistols UNLESS the dumbbell snatch is incredibly heavy for you. By this point, most regional athletes should be able to handle the dumbbell and fatiguing the legs to move quickly through pistols should not be a detriment.

4) DB Snatch -- This weight is incredibly light compared to last year's Regional, so it should not pose much difficulty for any individual athletes. Set the back on every rep, do NOT get lazy here as it will cost you on the last 50. Keep your butt down, chest up, and get a slightly wider stance than you would typically snatch from. You are not going to want to move your feet if you don't have to. Drive hard with the legs and over-exaggerate the elbow drive alongside the body. Punch through hard to lock out the DB and shrug your shoulder to your ears when you catch -- don't risk losing a rep that you already completed because you are unstable overhead. For these, go through a quick set of 20, take 3-5 quick breaths, and go through another set of 20. Continue in this fashion until they start to slow down, at which point move to sets of 10 and cut your rest a little if possible. Take extra care to set the dumbbell down on the ground, you do NOT want to lose a rep for dropping the weight. When fatigue sets in, use your other hand to lower the DB to the ground; this is an added safety measure that should prevent any no-reps and will help save your shoulder for the finish.

General points:

  • Wear Oly shoes no matter what, the wall balls and pistols are infinitely easier with them (not to mention the DB snatch)
  • Break wall balls up into smaller sets for the last 50 in order to save the shoulders -- it is almost never worth it to do the 100 wall balls unbroken
  • For C2B, butterfly is essential -- open with ~20 and hit quick sets of 10 following that
  • On the pistols, speed is key -- don't save anything for the snatch
  • On DB snatch, set the back and keep your chest up on every rep
  • Wear knee sleeves or wraps to assist with wall balls and pistols

Teams:

The team version of this WOD is much easier, with each team member only having to perform 30 reps of each movement. The general strategy for each team will be to move in order from fastest to slowest -- you want to give your slowest athlete the most time to finish, because the total time will depend on them anyways. The slowest athlete will typically be classified by their time on C2B pull-ups as this will be the biggest bottleneck in the WOD. The only exception to this will be if there is an athlete who cannot perform pistols or move the DB snatch weight -- if this is the case you will need to have this athlete go last so that they can get as far as possible within the time cap and all your other athletes at least have the chance to finish beforehand. Everything in this WOD should be performed unbroken by each team member, with the only exception being C2B pull-ups. The opening one or two athletes should be able to do the 30 unbroken if possible, but it is acceptable for athletes following this to go for two quick sets of 15 or three quick sets of 10. Either way, move through each station as quickly as possible so that the athletes behind you never have to wait. Worst case scenario, you can stick an athlete with trouble performing the DB snatch behind an athlete with weaker pistols. This will allow the athlete a bit more rest before approaching the snatch, but very few teams will need to rely on this strategy.

WOD 5 -- DL/Box Jump:
Individuals:

The benefit of seeing this WOD again is that we already have an idea of what a good score will be. Times will not dramatically improve from 2 years ago, however, there will be more athletes closer to the top score from 2011. The goal is to go through this workout unbroken, but with the deadlifts as heavy as they are, many athletes will be unable to do this. 

1) Deadlifts -- If done unbroken, these will dramatically reduce your total time for the workout. Worst case scenario perform doubles, it is almost never worth it to resort to singles on heavy deadlifts. Since the first rep is always the hardest, you want to utilize the stretch reflex on the bounce every single time. Hang onto the bar as long as you can, picking it back up from a dead stop will always be harder. Aim for no more than two sets on each of the rounds -- if the deadlift is incredibly heavy for you, three sets on the round of 21 are acceptable but not ideal.

2) Box jumps -- These jumps must be rebounded if possible, the time difference between rebounding and doing single jumps is immense. Stay light in the feet, landing hard on the box or on the ground will burn out the legs and make both movements harder. For stronger, heavier athletes, it is permissible to step down from each jump as long as there is no transition time between jumps and the DL's are performed unbroken. Speed on either deadlifts or box jumps is key, but speed on both will win the WOD.

General points:
  • Do NOT wear Oly shoes for this WOD -- the raised heel makes deadlifts harder and will inhibit your box jumps
  • Wear a belt but don't strap it down to the point of inhibiting your breathing
  • Chalk up a lot before the start of the workout, do not waste time grabbing chalk after
  • Tape the fingers and hands -- the DL is heavy enough that it could cause tears (especially after WOD 4 in the morning)
  • Take an extra second before starting your box jumps if necessary -- it is not worth damaging your shins or injuring yourself due to a bad jump
Team:

The "team version" of this WOD is just the same thing at lighter weight done by one man and one woman. The strategy, therefore, does not change except the deadlifts need to be done close to if not unbroken. Pick a stronger team member if necessary to do this event so that the DL will not be a problem. This is the one WOD that most teams will do well on, so it can cost a good team a high finish if it is not executed well. Practice it if necessary, but give your back/legs time to recover before the Regional. For teams looking to place near the top, a combined time around 8 minutes or less will be necessary.

Day 3 strategies will be posted tomorrow. Feel free to email questions or comments to justin@trainedwright.com.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

WOD - May 10, 2013 - Friday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
EMOTM 4 minutes:
4 Squat cleans (225#/135#)

Work Capacity:
A.
"Jackie" for time:
1k row
50 Thrusters (45#)
30 Pull-ups

Rest as needed after completion of Part A, then

B.
Four rounds each for time of:
15' Rope climb, 2 ascents
200 foot sprint (100 feet out and back)
Rest 2 minutes

Post results to comments.

Regionals Strategy: Day 1

Regionals Strategy for Day 1: Teams and Individuals

WOD 1 -- Jackie:
Individual:

On the individual side, Jackie is a good opener that fortunately will not cause any lingering damage for the rest of the weekend. Any competitor at the Regionals level has probably tackled this WOD before, and rowing, thrusters, and pull-ups are nothing new. I will address each movement and then general strategy for the WOD after.

1) The Row -- Don't kill yourself here. This workout is not won on the rower, and it is almost never worth going much faster than the opposition during the opening 1k. For guys, I suggest a pace of 1:40-1:50 depending on rowing strength/confidence, with most people falling in the 1:45-1:50 range. For the ladies, a pace of 1:55-2:05 will be more than fast enough. The goal is to get through the row and IMMEDIATELY begin your thrusters; if you need to catch your breath in the transition you have already lost this workout. At the top level of competition, a more confident rower may be able to push the pace a little bit assuming their thrusters/pull-ups are solid and conditioning is not an issue.

2) The Thrusters -- The workout is made or broken here. The thrusters need to be done unbroken and they need to be done fast. If rest is needed, rest in the back rack position for a breath or two and then go right back into thrusters. The key is to make all working sets here as fast as possible. Perfectly vertical torso is essential, and usage of the stretch-shortening cycle will separate the field amongst the top athletes -- the bounce out of the bottom is key for speed and to save your shoulders.

3) The Pull-ups -- At this level of competition, the pull-ups need to be done in a maximum of two sets but ideally need to be done unbroken. Confidence with butterfly pull-ups is absolutely essential here, as you will end up roughly 10 pull-ups faster compared to a standard kip. Take a second to chalk up before starting; it's better to take a few seconds here than to slip up during the working set and waste time re-adjusting or chalking up mid-set.

General notes:
  • Oly shoes are a requirement, not an option
  • Steady on the row, never feel pressured/tense
  • Fast thrusters win the WOD
  • Chalk up quickly BEFORE pull-ups, don't waste time after
  • Unbroken pull-ups are doable and will be a separator
Team:

The team version of Jackie is essentially the same, with teams picking their best guy/girl to tackle the WOD. For teams, a couple of general things must be considered. For one, you want to open big on Day 1. Having strong finishes on Friday will get you better heats and more time to watch the opposition; team competition relies much more on strategy and efficient transitions than anything else. For this reason, your best guy and girl should do Jackie UNLESS you need one of them later on for WOD 6's HSPU. This will matter more for the women than for the men. Getting a top finish on Day 1 will allow for better planning and strategizing for some of the harder WODs, and this will provide a slight advantage over the opposition. Ideally, you have a smaller guy better suited to Jackie and a girl with good pull-ups who may be your second best; this saves a stronger guy for the HSPU and axle work of WOD 6 and your strongest female competitor to tackle WOD 6 with them.

WOD 2 -- 3RM OH Squat:
Individual:

For the individual WOD, there is the obvious benefit of warming up and going right into the OH Squats, whereas teams need to do WODs 2/3 simultaneously. The rule for 10# increments and choosing a starting weight will really hurt those who are unprepared for this event, and thus it is crucial to practice the OH squat in one form or another as much as possible leading up to the Regional. There is plenty of time to warm-up leading up to the event, so athletes need to know what they can step up to the platform and hit. This event should be treated like a weightlifting meet -- you will only get 3 solid attempts and will be able to squeeze out probably another 2 attempts before you will see diminishing returns. Therefore, you must choose an opening weight that you can hit and that will boost your confidence. Also know that you will only have four additional lifts at the most to build up to your true 3RM. The ideal way to get the bar overhead will NOT be a snatch for most athletes at the Regional level. I recommend doing a clean into a wide split jerk, re-positioning the feet, and squatting with this slightly wider clean grip. This will lock the shoulders in place and will be one of the most confident squatting positions for most, with the caveat that flexibility has to be nearly perfect. Practice this transition into the OH squat prior to the Regional and feel it out. The alternative is a clean and jerk, lowering the bar behind the neck in a "bear complex" style, and re-adjusting the hands as if the bar had been taken off the rack. At heavy weights I think this could get dicey and will over-fatigue your shoulders for the remaining squats.

General notes:

  • Weightlifting shoes, wrist wraps, and possibly a belt are all necessary -- use any gear that makes you more confident in finishing a lift
  • Treat this event like a lifting meet: 3 solid attempts with an additional 2 for pushing to that true max
  • Go in warm and knowing what you can hit to open with 100 percent confidence
  • Load the bar immediately after finishing your last good rep and sit down/chalk up/rest before attempting the next
Teams:

For teams, the squat event involves a little bit more strategy as there is no starting weight requirement and no minimum jumps required. Athletes can start at whatever weight they choose and jumps can be made to whatever weight the team chooses. For this reason, get your weakest lifter out of the way first. Have them hit something maybe 10-15 pounds shy of their projected max quickly, and give them one additional attempt at the most to put up a bigger number. After this, immediately move on to your next strongest lifter. The time should be divided up so that your strongest lifter(s) have the most time to build. On teams where all lifters are roughly equal, this will not matter as much and each lifter will be able to get more attempts in.

General notes:

  • Girls go first so their strategy is very similar to the individuals, they will be warm and prepared for what they will hit
  • Guys go after the burpee muscle-ups and WILL be tired
  • Do NOT underestimate the effect of the muscle-ups on your OH Squat max
  • Guys will need to check the ego and hit lifts they are confident with, if you go big great if not move on

WOD 3 -- Burpee Muscle-ups:
Individual:

The 7-minute time cap will be fairly aggressive for a lot of the women, but expect a lot of the men to be coming in under the cap. The fastest times will be around 4 minutes or just under, but expect to be near the top for anything in the sub-5:30 range. For the women, top scores will be sub-6 minutes while finishing under the time cap will be enough to put you near the top in each region (at least early on). The burpee muscle-ups absolutely CANNOT be rushed. It is more important to steady the rings on the way down so you can go right into the next rep than it is to do each individual rep quickly. Focus and a steady-but-fast rhythm will be the key to winning this WOD. For those who are strong at muscle-ups, breaking these up into sets of 5 or 6 and keeping all splits roughly equal will yield the best times. For those who are not as strong at muscle-ups, or those who do not think they will finish, just keeping one slow, steady rhythm will probably be the way to go. This way you at least open big and have more time to work on the later reps. On the burpee, hip drive must be utilized to bring the athlete back to their feet. If you turn these burpees into push-ups your chest will start to cramp and make later muscle-ups very difficult. Over-exaggerate the kip on each dip to save the triceps and the chest as well. If you even think you will fail a muscle-up rep, take an extra second of rest -- failed muscle-ups waste more time and energy than almost any other movement in the sport. The most useful thing an athlete can practice here will be minimizing the transition between the top of the muscle-up and the next burpee while keeping the rings stable overhead. Lastly, jumping muscle-ups should only be an option for those athletes who are tall enough to hold onto the rings with fairly bent arms. Rings are set at 6'10" which will be well within the reach of taller athletes. This may allow bigger athletes to squeeze out more reps than standard kipping muscle-ups, and the dip portion will become the limiting factor here. For those not doing jumping muscle-ups, a neutral grip with a moderate and tight gymnastics kip is recommended. Keep the hands light and save the shoulders/triceps -- attempting a bent-arm style of muscle-up is not recommended for individuals as they will not have the included rest time that the team competitors have.

General notes:
  • Do not rush the reps, steady the rings on the way down every single time
  • The burpee MUST be mostly hips, do not do a push-up here
  • Over-exaggerate the kip for each dip
  • Fast sets of 5 or 6 for those proficient in muscle-ups
  • Open steady but big for those who are unsure of finishing, leave yourself more time later when it's needed
  • NEVER risk failing a muscle-up, it is the biggest waster of time and energy in the sport
  • Practice the transition between each rep, steadying the rings must be done fast and effortlessly
Team:

The team version of this WOD is very similar, but the forced rotation every 3 reps will favor teams who have more well-rounded athletes. Since the minimum contribution is 6 reps per gender, it makes sense to put your athlete with the strongest muscle-ups first in the rotation. For teams who may be on the verge of not getting their 6 reps, have the strongest muscle-up athlete go first and get their 3 as fast as possible. This will leave more than 6 minutes for the next athlete to try for their 3 reps. Even for those with questionable muscle-ups, this is plenty of time to get 3 reps if enough rest is taken and the athlete stays calm. This workout will be won in the transitions for teams whose members are all skilled at muscle-ups. Make sure you steady the rings on every rep, but especially for the next teammate coming in. If allowed, the first teammate coming in for the transition should run onto the mat and do their first muscle-up facing the previous athlete, then rotate to that athlete's previous position for the second and third reps. Full extension at the bottom of each rep is not required, so athletes who can do false-gripped muscle-ups from a bent-arm position should use this variation if it is more comfortable and will allow them to cycle through the teammates faster. Typically this would waste energy, however, team members will have built-in rest during this workout and should be able to recover.

General notes:
  • Strongest team athlete goes first, second and third athletes ranked by decreasing muscle-up proficiency with least proficient athlete going last
  • Steady the rings on every rep
  • If rules allow, athlete coming in from transition should do their first rep facing previous athlete and then do the second and third from this athlete's previous position
  • For athletes who have not yet gotten their first muscle-up, attempting a jumping muscle-up will be easier than learning a proper kip and transition -- practice this variation
  • Full extension at the bottom not required -- bent-arm false-gripped version may be preferable for some athletes
Day 2 strategies will be posted tomorrow, feel free to email any questions or comments to justin@trainedwright.com.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

WOD - May 9, 2013 - Thursday

Workout of the Day

Strength:
7 minutes to achieve 3RM OH Squat from the floor

NOTE: This is a ladder that will start at either 135, 185, 225, or 255 for the men and 85, 125, 155, or 175 for the women. You MUST increase the weight by only 10# after a successful set of 3 while you build up to your 1RM.
* See the Games site for all rules and standards

Work Capacity:
A.
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Deadlifts (315#/205#)
Box jumps (30"/24")

Rest as needed after completion of Part A, then

B.
EMOTM 10 minutes:
3 Burpee muscle-ups

Post results to comments.

** Please check out www.facebook.com/TrainedWright and www.twitter.com/TrainedWright to like/follow Wright Performance. New site is in the works and we are pushing forward with our social media presence -- please assist us in this effort. I will be posting a strategy write-up on these Regionals WODs later today. **

Rest Day - May 8, 2013 - Wednesday

Rest Day

The first two days of individual workouts have been posted for the North East Regional. Check out games.crossfit.com for descriptions and standards. After all workouts are out tomorrow night I will put together a strategy post for both individual and team competitors. Do some active recovery today and stay loose, we will be training Thursday-Sunday this week in order to practice the WODs and transitions.

Monday, May 6, 2013

WOD - May 7, 2013 - Tuesday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
Build to a heavy Clean and Jerk -- after building up, perform ONLY 3 reps at 90% or more of projected 1RM

Strength:
Build to a heavy Front Squat

Work Capacity:
For time:
Row 2k

Additional:
Extended post-WOD mobility

Post results to comments.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

WOD - May 6, 2013 - Monday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
Build to a heavy snatch -- after building up, perform ONLY 3 reps at 90% or more of projected 1R

Strength:
Build to a heavy High Bar Back Squat

Work Capacity:
"Amanda" 9-7-5 reps for time of:
Muscle-ups
Full snatch (135#/95#)

Additional:
Good mornings, 3x8 at moderate/light weight

Post results to comments.

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Rest Day - May 5, 2013 - Sunday

Rest Day

Enjoy the day off. There are some exciting developments on the horizon for Wright Performance, so stay tuned for updates. Next week will begin our tapering period leading into the first Regional event. Perform some maintenance on your body and get some rest. Make sure nutrition for the week is prepped if making meals during the week gets difficult for you.

Friday, May 3, 2013

WOD - May 4, 2013 - Saturday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
1) Snatch: 1x2 @ 75%, 1x2 @ 80%, 4x2 @ 85%, 1x1 @ 90% -- rest as needed
2) Clean and jerk, 2+1: 1x1 @ 75%, 1x1 @ 80%, 4x1 @ 85%, 1x1 @ 90% -- rest as needed

Work Capacity:
2012 Regionals WOD 4 for time:
50 Back squats (135#/95#)
40 Pull-ups
30 Shoulder-to-overhead (135#/95#)
50 Front squats (85#/65#)
40 Pull-ups
30 Shoulder-to-overhead (85#/65#)
50 OH Squats (65#/45#)
40 Pull-ups
30 Shoulder-to-overhead (65#/45#)

Post results to comments.


Thursday, May 2, 2013

WOD - May 3, 2013 - Friday

Workout of the Day

Strength
1) High bar back squat: 1x5 @ 85%, 1x4 @ 87.5%, 1x3 @ 90%, 2x2 @ 92.5%, 1x2 @ 95%, 1x1 @ 97.5%, 1x1 @ 100% -- rest 2:00
2) Front squat: 5x3 @ 23x1 tempo, heavier than Tuesday -- rest 60-90s

Work Capacity:
A.
10 Rounds for total time: 
5 Thrusters (185#/120#) 
5 Front-racked walking lunge (185#/120#) 
5 Deficit HSPU (4"") 
Rest 1 minute

Rest exactly 1 minute after completion of Part A, then

B.
AMRAP 2 minutes of: 
Double-unders

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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

WOD - May 2, 2013 - Thursday

Workout of the Day

Barbell Work:
From CrossFit Southie Garage Games Finals: 15 minutes to establish heaviest set of "Hulk Salad":
2 Power Cleans
2 Front Squats
2 Jerks
* Without taking hands off of bar. Bar can rest on the ground between first and second power clean, however, hands must remain in contact with the bar at all times. After bar is brought to shoulders on second power clean, it must stay there until complex is over.

Work Capacity:
A.
AMRAP 2 minutes of:
Bar muscle-ups

Rest 5 minutes after completion of Part A, then

B.
For time:
30 GHD sit-ups
30 Deadlifts (225#/155#)
30 Double-unders
30 OH squats (95#/65#)
30 Pull-ups

Additional:
3x10 Good mornings, moderate weight

Post results to comments.